Ford

Residents of Kansas City are about to get a new option in on-demand, ride sharing services. Ford has announced that it's teaming up with the Boston-based Bridj to bring its on-demand shuttle service to the city, making use of the former's Transit vans, which are often used in the commercial sector for carrying equipment. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority says the service will debut in early March with 10 Ford shuttles hitting the streets.

As I've discovered on several occasions, often it's only when you go topless that things start to make sense. Ford's 5.0 liter Mustang is a good example: when I drove the 2015 coupe last year, I questioned the need of such a large, naturally-aspirated V8 when the company's EcoBoost engines were so polished.

Gas prices might be at a refreshing low, but coaxing more miles - and fewer emissions - out of each gallon still has its charms. Ford plans to do that with its best-selling F-150 truck courtesy of a fairly simple tweak for the 2017 model year, fitting more of its EcoBoost engines with Auto Stop-Start technology.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will investigate an issue affecting 2012 and 2013 Ford Focus vehicles that, at times, could prevent the doors from latching properly. The issue is said to affect about 400,000 of the vehicles, and according to some drivers, has at times manifested while the cars are in motion. The NHTSA revealed its plans in new documents released today; this is a similar probe to the one that ultimately lead to Ford and Lincoln recalls in 2015.

It's really coming. Ford's very first 2016 Focus RS production car has rolled off the line, and it's making our palms itch to get out to the track. Offering hot-hatch fans a slightly tamer, considerably more affordable version of the driving experience Ford is promising from the GT, it'll be the fastest accelerating car from the blue badge company to wear the RS label.

Ford is constantly testing out its autonomous cars in different driving scenarios to ensure that the vehicles are capable of operating in any conditions. One of the most difficult conditions for humans to drive in is snow and that makes it one of the most difficult conditions for autonomous vehicles to operate in. Therefore, snowy conditions are one of the most important driving scenarios for autonomous vehicles to master.

Ford has announced some interesting models for the 2017 Fusion mid-size sedan. The new Fusion will come in hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions along with a new high-power Sport V6 version that offers an EcoBoost twin-turbo 2.7L V6 engine. That EcoBoost Sport V6 makes 325hp and 350 lb-ft of torque and is paired with AWD for traction.

Your next Ford could track your heart rate and leave a bigger cruise control comfort zone when you're stressed, just one of the projects the company is working on in its new Automotive Wearables Experience lab. The group, part of Ford's Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Michigan, is looking at how wearable tech like smartwatches and fitness trackers can be hooked into increasingly complex vehicle systems.

A Ford truck with the engine of the GT, but space for five and off-road abilities that could put a dune buggy to shame just has to wear the Raptor badge. Unsurprisingly, then, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew takes the company's performance truck and gives it a four-door spin for the Detroit Auto Show this week.

Vehicle infotainment systems pretty much experience that same somewhat isolated and dispersed situation that the IoT industry is experiencing. With cars, however, the problem is less pronounced, perhaps because of fewer but stronger players. Still, standardization can still go a long way in pushing new technologies and new lifestyles forward, which is why Ford is offering its SmartDeviceLink software even to its rivals, with Toyota as one of the first to commit to it.

This age is truly a connected age but not everyone connects via the same means or owns the same connected devices. Instead of shoehorning their customers into a single solution, Ford is giving their buyers the gift of choice. Customers who will be purchasing a car equipped with the new SYNC 3 or upgrading to it will be able to choose between Apple's CarPlay or Google's Android Auto for connecting their mobile devices to their cars.